Monday 30 April 2012

Neil Shenvi

I've just come across the website of Neil Shenvi, a research scientist at Duke University.  It has some interesting apologetics essays which appear to focus on answering objections from the New Atheists.  This quote - not specifically about apologetics - is one of my favourites:

"But the Gospel shatters all our self-justification. Jesus says to us: none of you can be his own savior. You are all sinners: the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the Pharisees, the pastors, the bishops, the kings, the businessmen. You're all suffering, you're all dying inside. There's only one difference: the tax collectors and the prostitutes know it; they know they can't save themselves. But you, Pharisee, and you, Neil: you still think you can." (Neil Shenvi - Testimony)
The essay I'm particularly looking  forward to trying to follow later is Quantum Mechanics and Materialism.

Enjoy!

Sunday 29 April 2012

Joel Osteen on Mitt Romney

I saw this video earlier today.




Healing and Apologetics

I've been replaying a conversation over in my head that I had with one of my daughter's youth group buddies.  She said how at school when she talks about her faith the other kids laugh at her.  I told her not to be disheartened about this, and that some people will mock what they don't understand.  I explained I still get similar comments even though I'm an adult.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" - John 3:18
This is just some stuff I've been thinking about over the past few days.  I have no idea where I'm going with this post, so I don't know what it's conclusion will be.  As a Christian, I believe in Him, and so I am not condemned.  But how about those who don't believe in the Son of God?

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Global Missions - David Platt, John Piper

I've been reading through John Piper's free e-book When The Darkness Will Not Lift, which I intend on writing about soon, once I've processed the information.  However, a particular passage stood out for me, and relates very well to some other things I've been thinking about lately:
"What one thing comes to your mind from sixty years of ministry as to what Christians should do to increase their joy?  Almost without hesitation he said, 'Share their faith.'  Joy in Christ thrives on being shared.  That is the essence of Christian joy; It overflows or dies".

Thursday 12 April 2012

Peter - A Further Observation

Just realised something - how two of my previous posts, which to me seemed to have very different focus's, tie together quite well.

Apologetics Reading List

Great reading list for anyone interested in Apologetics, and perfect for a beginner.  I'll be reading through these books in the suggested order as soon as I can..
An Apologetic Reading List for Beginners
:)

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Christian Apologetics Condensed

The claims of Christianity in my opinion can be ripped apart just by dismissing one claim: The Christ.  As John MacArthur states:
"The truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation"  (courtesy of The Poached Egg)
Consider this statement, take the time to read this book: The Case For Christ, and consider the facts with an intellectually honest mind.   Could be life-changing....

Monday 9 April 2012

"The Ground of our Assurance When We Cannot See Our Faith"

Another amazing quote from the book "When The Darkness Will Not Lift" by John Piper:
"It is utterly crucial that in our darkness we affirm the wise, strong hand of God to hold us, even when we have no strength to hold him.  This is the way Paul thought of his own strivings.  He said, 'Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own' (Phil. 3:12).  The key thing to see in this verse is that all of Paul's efforts to grasp the fullness of joy in Christ are secured by Christ's grasp of him.  Never forget that your security rests on Christ's faithfulness first."
So however we are, whatever we feel, Christ is faithful to us!  Amen!

"Gutsy Guilt"

Quote from John Pipers book "When the Darkness will not lift", which I've just started reading through.  10 pages in and it already offer up brilliance such as this:

"One of the most important is learning to fight for joy like a justified sinner. I call this “gutsy guilt.” Every embattled saint has learned this secret, even if they never called it by that name. Gutsy guilt means learning to live on the rock-solid truth of what happened for us when Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead. It means realizing that in this life we will always be sinful and imperfect. Therefore in ourselves we will always be guilty. This will prove emotionally devastating if we do not dis cover the reality of justification by faith, that is, the secret of gutsy guilt."

Sunday 8 April 2012

The Apostle Peter

During the last week or so, approaching Resurrection Sunday, for some reason I've been thinking about the Apostle Peter.  I don't know why.

We first meet Peter in Matthew 4:18-20, where he and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus to follow Him.  They immediately left their nets and followed him.  He is then named as one of the original 12 apostles in Matthew 10:2.  Jesus calls him the Rock on which Jesus will build his church, after Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Christ.

Christianity and The Tooth Fairy

Just under a year ago, I watched this video, and it was a pinnacle moment in a long journey for me from Atheist to Agnostic to Follower of Jesus.  Fascinating stuff, and proof you don't have to give up on your intellect to follow Christ!




Enjoy!

Friday 6 April 2012

Charles Wesley

So here's my first Good Friday as a Christian.  I'm attending a walk of witness through the town centre later this morning, followed by an open-air service in the middle of the town.  This is a 'churches together' event, and I'm looking forward to it.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Kids!

Hi,

Just spotted another article in my news reader that's well worth sharing:  24/7prayer.com.

The story is from a 19 year old young person talking about her work in South Africa.  The story itself is very inspiring, but looking at where these words of faith come from - a 19 year old - speaks volumes to me in itself.

Young people often get such a bad press here in the UK.  I work with kids, have a kid, and once upon a long time ago, I was a kid.  They can be irritating and hard work at times.  But when a story like this comes to light, it's worth noting.  Here's a teenage girl who could be comfortably staying in the UK, being looked after by her family, and 'enjoying' a typical teenage lifestyle full of copius amounts of cheap drink, clubs and 'fun'.  It's what I was doing at that age!  Instead, she's out there spreading God's word in a tough place, at a very young age.  God bless this young adult, and many, many others like her around the world!

M :)

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Monday 2 April 2012

Craig T Owens - Battling Depression

I've just finished typing up this post, and checked my RSS reader quickly.  I spotted this article, which seemed relevant so, enjoy :)

Sunday 1 April 2012

Isaiah 32:17, and a catch up

"The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever"  (NKJV)


I haven't posted in a while, either here or on my techie blog at mlpcoding.blogspot.com, as I've been feeling very low in spirit recently.  I had a three week absence from church, in the first instance because of a karate grading, followed by a weekend where I felt I really, really needed a rest from everything (I didn't leave the house), then illness.  Going back after that felt quite monumental, but go back I did.